Complete Acceptance
by TigStripe
Summary: When love blossoms in unexpected places, it's up to the kids to figure out how to get Jecht to accept his son's unusual lifestyle. RxS, WxT .Finished. Under sequelization. Is that a word?
1. Chapter 1: Boredom

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

Warning: sugar-addict alert! points at Selphie

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Chapter 1: Boredom

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The sun was bright, shining gloriously in the crisp blue sky. Clouds lazily drifted by and looked oh-so-cute in their fluffy ways. The ocean lapped quietly at the pristine sandy beach, and the seagulls were particularly quiet this afternoon.

Sora sighed. "I'm so bored!" he cried, his head resting on his crossed forearms on the beach. He took his crossed legs and shifted around so that he was sitting upright, looking out over the beautiful sea.

"Go find something to do, if you don't like being lazy," Riku replied from his usual perch in the Paupu tree.

Kairi snorted, six feet to Sora's left on the sandy beach. "Yeah, like Sora ever gets tired of being lazy," she said with a giggle.

Sora tossed some sand onto Kairi's new yellow sundress.

"Hey!" she cried, standing up quickly and brushing herself off. "I told Mom that I wouldn't get this dress dirty like all the others!"

"Then why'd ya wear it out here?" Wakka asked from the waterfall pool.

"Because I knew we'd all be sitting around, bored," the girl replied with a smirk.

Sora sighed and fell back onto his back on the beach. "Why did we have to go and explore every place on the island, anyhow? Now there's nothing to do!"

"You can always go home and read a book," Riku suggested.

Sora rolled his eyes and looked over at Kairi, who giggled before saying, "As if."

Wakka jumped down onto the beach and dashed into the surf, his read hair bobbing in the wind, and then the water. His sandals were neatly kicked off on the beach, out of the tide's reach.

"What's he up to?" Sora asked, propping himself up onto his right elbow and looking out at the water.

Wakka dove under a small wave, vanishing from sight. After a moment, his ball burst from the water's surface, rocketing into the air before coming back down to a small splash in the waves. Wakka's head appeared again, his hair fallen into his face. "C'mon in, ya? The water's fine!" he called, waving an arm to the others.

Riku jumped down from the Paupu tree. "Not interested," he said, giving the ocean the cold shoulder. He leapt down from the plateau onto the beach, spraying Sora and Kairi with sand.

"Gah, not again," Kairi muttered, standing and brushing herself off. "You guys will be the death of me, I swear."

"We're not the ones who told our moms that we'd keep our new clothes clean while we play on a sandy beach, now were we?" Sora asked, standing up and looking over at the brunette.

Kairi sighed and broke into a giggle. "No, I guess not." She looked at the sun's position in the sky. "It's getting kind of late. I should start heading back."

Wakka walked up out of the water, drenched. "What? None of you wanted to have a swim with me? That's not very friendly-like, you know," he said, pointing a finger at Riku, who chuckled.

"Wakka, I hate to burst your bubble," Riku replied with a smirk, "but you've got seaweed all over you."

"Eh?" Wakka looked down, noticing his entire front side covered in disgusting, clingy seaweed. "Aw, nuts," he muttered, throwing the ball to the ground and beginning to pick it off of his shirt and shorts.

Kairi giggled, then started heading back towards the dock, where their boats were tied up. "I'm heading home," she said, waving to the others. "I'll talk to you guys later." She turned and ran up the wooden steps onto the dock and started to untie her boat.

Sora sighed and looked back at the other two boys on the beach. Riku was stretching from being in that tree for too long. With his arms raised high over his head, his shirt began to slide up, and Sora caught a flash of navel, to which he blushed and looked away quickly. Riku didn't notice. Sora was sensitive about seeing any flesh normally covered by clothing.

Wakka was still picking the seaweed off of him when Riku turned and started heading towards the dock as well.

"What, you're going, too, Riku?" Sora asked.

Riku stopped and looked back at his friend. "Sure. Why not? There's nothing to do here today." He turned back to the dock and started walking again.

"He's just jealous that I have a higher boredom tolerance than he does," Sora said triumphantly, crossing his arms and laughing.

Wakka rolled his eyes and finished picking the seaweed off of him, and tossing it back into the waves. "Say, Sora, have you seen Tidus lately?" he asked the brunette.

Sora shrugged and shook his head. "Not today. I saw him a couple of days ago. I think he got grounded," he added with a thought.

Wakka raised an eyebrow. "Grounded, eh? From what?"

Sora shrugged again. "How should I know?"

"He lives right next to you."

Sora chuckled. "Oh yeah." He thought for a moment. "I do remember his dad yelling something about how he was a disgrace to the family, or something like that. It must have been pretty big."

Wakka's face became concerned, almost worried. "I hope it's not too serious," he said a little too quietly.

Sora's eyes widened. "What? Do you know something, Wakka?"

Wakka shook his head. "Nah." He brought his head up and looked around the island. "I think I'm gonna head back to town, too. Don't wait up for me, ya?" he told Sora, picking up his ball and heading towards the dock.

Sora gave the redhead a confused look as he walked away, then shook his head. _I don't get my friends sometimes_, he thought to himself.

- - -

Selphie skated down the road until she noticed Kairi biking her way back to her house. "Hey, Kay!" she cried, waving both arms. This threw her off balance and she toppled onto her rear in the middle of the street. Kairi burst into giggles, which caused her to lose control of her bike, and she, too, fell to the ground.

The girls just sat there for a moment, staring at each other, then broke out into hysterical laughter. Selphie got up and helped Kairi back up onto her bike.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked Selphie. "You weren't at the island today."

Selphie sighed. "Oh, I know. My mom said that I couldn't go today because I didn't eat my green beans last night at dinner."

Kairi made a disgusted face. "I know what you mean. My mom threatens me with not going to the island until I eat my vegetables, too."

Selphie sighed again and shook her head. "I mean, it's just not right. If we were intended to eat vegetables, they would be made out of sugar."

Kairi gave her younger friend a strange look and laughed. "Somehow, Selphie, I don't think that's how you need to look at it."

Selphie opened her mouth to reply, but "Kairi!" could be heard down the street. Kairi's mother was standing on the front porch, watching her daughter talk with her next-door neighbor.

"I gotta get home," Kairi said apologetically, biking around Selphie and into the driveway of the house two yards down.

"No problem!" Selphie cried after her, waving her arms as only she knew how: rapidly, which threw her off balance again, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Aww, man," she murmured. The Tilmitt girl rose to her feet again and turned back towards the harbor and took off at a dash.

- - -

Tidus sat on his bed, eyes wide open and watching the rotating ceiling fan overhead. He sighed and turned, facing out the window across the room. He could see the light from Sora's bedroom through the breaks in the trees between the two houses.

"Damnit," Tidus muttered, squeezing his eyes shut as tears welled up in them. He reached up with his suppressed arm and pulled down the sleeve of his shirt to hide the bruise. _I knew he'd take it bad, but that was just too much_, the blonde muttered inside his head, drawing the sleeve down to his elbow. Tidus had been lucky that his mother had been there to calm his father down. Of course, she didn't seem too happy about the revelations, either.

Tidus rolled onto his other side, so that he was staring at the blank wall next to his bed. The ceiling light was too bright for shadows to dance across the wall, and Tidus liked it that way. Sometimes, he was afraid to shut his eyes in this house; he was afraid to sleep in this house.

"Whoever invented alcohol should be shot," Tidus muttered to himself. Despite the bright ceiling light, the young blonde was able to close his eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.

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And the plot already starts to thicken! Read and review if you'd like. Next chapter's done and will be up soon.


	2. Chapter 2: Punishment

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

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Chapter 2: Punishment

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Sora rode his bike down to the dock, just a couple of feet in front of Kairi. They screeched to a halt when they saw Selphie and Wakka waiting for them at the boats.

"What took ya so long?" Wakka called.

"Mom made breakfast this morning and I couldn't get out any earlier," Sora replied, chaining up his bike and walking down to the pier.

"I was just waiting on Sora," Kairi added, joining them.

Selphie giggled knowingly. Sora and Wakka shared a confused glance, but nothing else was said.

"Has anyone seen Tidus or Riku this morning?" Kairi asked the others, looking around.

Selphie shook her head and turned to her boat, beginning to untie it from the dock. She jumped in and started rowing. "Last one there's a seagull's lunch!" she cried, laughing as she pulled out of the dock.

No one else moved, causing Selphie to slow her escape from the pier. "What's up?" she called.

"I'm worried," Wakka replied. "Tidus isn't a bad kid, you know? He's been grounded for the past week, and we haven't seen him at all. I'm worried that he did something really bad, ya?"

Kairi nodded. "We should go try to see him," she suggested, to which Sora and Wakka nodded.

"Should we go now, or wait until we get back from the island?" Sora asked the other two children.

Wakka shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm not goin' to the island today. I'm gonna try to figure out what's goin' on with Tidus."

Kairi nodded. "Okay, then. Don't get in trouble, yourself. I'm going to head out to the island now," she added, turning and retrieving her boat from the boatshack and pushing it into the water. She hopped in and started rowing, quickly catching up to Selphie.

Sora sighed. "I wanna know what's up, too, but I don't think I need to be getting involved. I'm going to head out to the island, too."

Wakka nodded. "Okay. You can take my boat. It's already there," he said, pointing at the last boat in the pier. "I'll head back up to Tidus' house and see if I can talk to him."

Sora nodded again and headed down to the tied up boat. "We'll see you later, then," he called back to the redhead.

Wakka waved and turned back up the hill.

- - -

Riku shook his head, leaning against the lattice outside Tidus' window on the second story of his house. _So that's it_, he said to himself. The silver-haired boy nodded and stood up. He turned to the street and noticed Wakka walking swiftly up the hill towards Tidus' house.

Riku rushed out into the front yard and intercepted the redhead before he stepped foot onto Tidus' lawn. "Wakka, don't go near Tidus' house," the white-haired boy warned.

Wakka's eyes took on a worried glaze. "What? Why? Is Tidus sick or somethin'?"

Riku shook his head and sighed. "No. His dad," he broke off and caused an awkward moment.

"What about Mr. Jecht?" Wakka asked, crossing his arms and giving the boy a stern look.

"Let's just say that you're not in Jecht's liking right now," Riku finally admitted sheepishly.

"Well he can get over it," Wakka said forcefully. "I haven't seen Tidus in a week, and I wanna know what's going on, ya?"

Riku sighed. "I know, I know, Wakka, but this is serious. I don't think it'd be a good idea for you to be here right now."

"I really don' care," Wakka replied, his eyes hard and cruel. He pushed past Riku and stormed up the front walk. When Wakka reached the porch, he felt a strong grip take his right wrist. He turned to see Riku hanging onto his arm.

"Please, Wakka, don't," Riku pleaded. "Tidus is in enough trouble already."

Wakka snorted. "Exactly. I want to find out why. That's innocent enough, right?"

Riku's unsure expression gave Wakka doubts, but the redhead turned to the door and knocked. Riku let the wrist go and turned to face the street, ready for the worst.

Jecht opened the front door and peered at who it was through the screen door. The instant that his eyes settled on Wakka, they burned with hatred and ire. "You!" he shouted, slamming open the screen door. Wakka and Riku jumped back, off of the porch.

Jecht grabbed something from inside the door and lobbed it at Wakka. The family's priceless vase smashed into dozens of pieces mere inches from Wakka's unprotected toes. Wakka jumped back, smacking right into Riku. The two fell to the ground as Jecht came out of the house and stormed up to them.

"Get away from my house," he snarled at Wakka, who cowered on top of Riku. "I never want to see you or your shitfaced family around this house ever again. Now get the hell out of my sight before I beat the living shit out of you!"

Wakka jumped to his feet as fast as he could and took off down the road at a full run. Riku was right behind him.

"What's wrong with me?" Wakka cried as the two boys stopped in front of Riku's house, straight across from Sora's.

"I tried to warn you," Riku said, shaking his head and sitting on the front step of his house.

"I don't understand," Wakka muttered offhandedly. "Why is Mr. Jecht so upset with me?"

Riku sighed. "You're the reason that Tidus is grounded," he replied quietly, to which Wakka winced. "Tidus made me swear not to tell the reason why he got grounded, but you are definitely the reason why."

Wakka looked at Riku, whose head was hanging down between his knees in embarrassment. "You know why he's grounded and you won't tell us? Why, Riku?"

"I just told you," the white-haired boy replied, "Tidus made me swear against telling anyone. It would just make his situation worse."

Wakka shook his head, not understanding, but he let it go. "I think I'm going to go home," he said quietly. "Do you mind if I cut through your backyard?"

"Go ahead," Riku replied, not bothering to look up.

"Thanks." Wakka turned off the porch and headed around Riku's house.

_I promised Tidus I wouldn't tell,_ Riku said to himself, _but sooner or later they'll beat the answer out of me. It's only a matter of time._

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Aren't I mean? Wakka almost got a vase smashed on his toes. Oo Read and review if you'd like. Next chapter up soon.


	3. Chapter 3: Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

Warning: love begins to blossom in the form of yaoi (boy x boy), so if you're offended by such, please stop reading!

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Chapter 3: Feelings

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Sora noticed Tidus' bedroom light hadn't turned off in a couple of days, even in the wee hours of the morning when Sora got out of bed for a glass of water or to use the bathroom. It was plaguing him, not knowing what was going on in that house.

It was the evening of Wakka's run-in with Jecht, and everyone had gathered outside of Riku's house to talk to the silver-haired boy about Tidus. No one seemed particularly happy that Riku wouldn't convey the reasoning behind Tidus' grounding, but Sora smiled inwardly, not letting one cross his face.

_He made a promise, and he's keeping it_, Sora thought. _It's sweet how he's making a stand for Tidus' privacy._ Sora smirked. _It's kind of annoying, too._

Wakka growled at Riku. "Tell me!" he cried, showing the boy a fist and a snarl.

Riku sat down on the porch and shook his head. "I said no," he grunted. "How many times will I have to tell you guys that I'm not going to tell you what's up?"

"Then what did we come here for?" Kairi asked the kid with a huff. "I mean, you _were_ the one who called us all here."

Everyone added their agreement to Kairi's statement, to which Riku nodded. "I did. And I'll do better than tell you why you're here," he added, pointing. "I'll show you."

Riku's finger was pointing straight at Wakka, who was standing directly in Riku's line of sight with Tidus' house. Confused, everyone looked at Wakka, then beyond him, towards Tidus' house.

Tidus was sitting on the front porch with his hands holding his chin, propped on his knees. He looked downright miserable.

"Tidus!" Selphie cried, taking off at a run towards the sitting blonde. Tidus saw the girl and jumped to his feet and dashed towards the street. The two intercepted each other in the center of the street in a bear hug.

"That's kind of cute," Kairi giggled, running after the younger brunette.

Wakka stood still as Sora went shooting past, out towards Tidus. The redhead looked back at Riku, sitting on his front step. "He's not ungrounded, is he?" the inquiry was more of a statement than an actual question.

Riku nodded slowly and sadly. "Exactly right." The white-haired boy's gaze caught Wakka's dead-on. "Every night, for ten minutes, Jecht lets Tidus out of the house to sit on the front step. Ten minutes exactly. No more, no less. And Jecht watches the entire time," he added, pointing to a window next to Tidus' front door. Wakka followed the finger and noticed Jecht's bulky frame watching the boy like a hawk from inside a dark living room.

"Ten minutes, eh?" Wakka replied quietly, his eyes full of sadness. He straightened his spine and started walking towards the group in the middle of the street. He was nearly thrown off-balance by a hand grabbing his wrist. Looking back, the redhead saw Riku latched onto his arm. "Let go, Riku! I want to go say hi to Tidus!" Wakka commanded, trying to shake Riku off of his arm.

Riku held on tightly. "I don't think so. This is the only freedom that Tidus gets from his house on a daily basis now, Wakka. After what happened earlier today, do you really think that Jecht will allow Tidus to go out every night if he sees you out there?"

Wakka felt a pang of sorrow in his chest. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Riku was right – if he, Wakka, was truly the one responsible for Tidus' grounding, then Jecht wouldn't let him go out of the house at all if Wakka showed up whenever he was free, even if it was for only ten minutes. Wakka blinked in understanding, his breathing slowing to a crawl. Finally, Riku felt Wakka's arm go limp, and he released the redhead's wrist.

"I'm sorry," Riku murmured from behind Wakka, who acted like he didn't even hear the boy.

Wakka watched as Selphie, Sora, and Kairi hugged and chatted with Tidus, who was smiling like he had received a year's supply of candy. Just seeing his friends again had renewed his energy. Tears welled up in the redhead's eyes when he realized that he couldn't go over to say hi to his friend and risk the happiness of ten minutes with everyone else. Wakka turned on his heel and headed towards the back of Riku's house, not wanting anyone to see him crying.

Tidus noticed a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, and his attention was drawn to Riku's house. Tidus' heart sank when he saw Wakka rounding the corner of Riku's house with a hand over his eyes. The redhead was storming back behind Riku's house, towards his own back yard. Suddenly the cheerful conversations of Sora and the others directly in front of Tidus meant nothing to him. The blonde wasn't interested in hearing what they had to say anymore. Tears started to well into the corners of Tidus' eyes, but he forced them down. He didn't want the others to be more worried than they already were.

Tidus saw Riku stand and give the blonde a reaffirming nod. He hadn't told the others the reason that Tidus had been grounded. That was good. Tidus didn't think that the others were ready to hear it just yet. Riku turned and headed inside his house, leaving the group to continue to question Tidus about his grounding, questions that he didn't answer.

Finally, Sora rolled his eyes. "I don't get it," he said, almost whining, "first Riku won't tell us, now you won't? What's the big deal? We all get grounded, and we all get ungrounded. Just tell us why you can't come out and play!" he almost yelled at the blonde.

Tidus' eyes teared up and he backed up from the group. "I-I'm sorry," he replied in a whisper, tears falling from his face. "I can't."

Kairi's expression turned from happy and giggling to worried to understanding within a mere moment. "It's not that you don't want to tell us," she said in a whisper, "but you can't tell us, or something will happen to you."

Tidus' silence confirmed Kairi's theory. Her eyes teared up and she gave Tidus a hug. "Oh, Tidus, don't worry. We won't ask you any more. It has to hurt, not being able to tell your friends the truth. Don't worry about us. We'll wait until you're ungrounded. How does that sound?" she asked, pulling away from the blonde.

Tidus didn't know what to say. Kairi was always so understanding about these things, and if she said that they wouldn't ask about his situation any more, Tidus knew that she would go out of her way to keep that promise. The blonde just nodded and returned Kairi's hug.

Inside Tidus' house, Jecht's eyes softened, but it was time already.

Tidus gave Selphie another hug and she giggled as she handed him a Sugar Twang, to which Tidus grinned. Selphie was always giving everyone candy.

"Tidus," the blonde's father called from the front door. Tidus cringed at the sound of Jecht's voice.

"Coming," Tidus called back. He gave each of the girls one last hug and did a secret handshake with Sora before heading towards the house. Kairi's eyes were still damp with tears and Selphie was waving frantically. Sora gave Tidus a nod when he stopped in his doorway to take one last look at his friends before heading inside the house. Finally, the blonde disappeared behind the front door of his house, leaving his friends in the dark street.

"What's going on, Kairi?" Sora asked the brunette, who was watching the house with a tear falling down her cheek.

"I think Tidus is being beaten," Kairi whispered. Selphie and Sora stepped back in shock.

"What makes you say that, Kairi?" Selphie asked, drawing in closer to her friend.

Kairi closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "I…I don't really know. I guess it's just a feeling, but Tidus pretty well admitted it with that silence."

"Can't we do anything?" Sora asked. "If Tidus is actually being beaten, we could try to get him out of that house or something, you know?"

Kairi sighed. "It wouldn't be that simple if we tried, I'm sure. These kinds of situations are extremely delicate." She turned and started walking down the street, towards her house, closer to the pier. "I'm going to bed," she told the others. "I need to do some thinking. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

As Kairi walked off, Selphie kicked the asphalt. "This isn't cool," she muttered, uncharacteristically quiet. Sora nodded.

"We can't do anything about it tonight," the boy replied. "We should head home."

Selphie nodded reluctantly and headed down the street, away from the piers, towards her house, while Sora walked up to his front door, right next to Tidus' house. Sora slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door, catching one last glimpse of Tidus' lit window before entering his own house.

- - -

Tidus sat on his bed with his knees drawn up to him, tears rolling down his cheeks. He had been so happy to see his friends again. It had been an entire week since he'd seen them last, and for any teen, that's entirely too long to go without contact with your friends. He had been ecstatic to see them all again. But when he looked away…

When Tidus saw Wakka running around Riku's house, headed for his own home, Tidus felt like screaming.

Remembering this, Tidus drew his knees closer to him. The blonde closed his eyes and tried to imagine the times that he and the others, that he and Wakka, had had together, but nothing came to him. Only the image of Wakka running away from him poked into his consciousness.

Tidus fell onto his side, his knees still curled up to him. He started to cry.

_Don't run, Wakka. Come back. I don't want to…no, Wakka, don't go…I want you to come back…Please, Wakka, come back. Please…_

-

Commence heart-wrenching sobs. cries I shall finally reveal the truth soon…although I shall not reveal when! 3 Aren't I evil? Read and review if you'd like.


	4. Chapter 4: Late at Night

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

Warning: love begins to blossom in the form of yaoi (boy x boy), so if you're offended by such, please stop reading!

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Chapter 4: Late at Night

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Wakka sat up in his room, thinking about how he hadn't gone to see Tidus in the street. It was to protect Tidus from his own father, Wakka knew, but it still hurt, not being able to go and speak with him. With one leg hanging over the bed and one arm propped up on his second knee, Wakka casually looked out his window and watched the dark street in front of his house. He was the only one of the group who lived on this street; everyone else lived on the street behind his house.

Wakka sighed and looked at the clock. It was two in the morning and he couldn't sleep, still. He just continued to think about Tidus being locked up in his house for all but ten minutes a day. And apparently, it was Wakka's fault. Wakka, more than any of the others, wanted to know why.

Wakka stole a glance out his window again. There were no lights on anywhere on his street, and he knew that it would be the same for Tidus' street, except for Tidus' bedroom window. Sora had said that Tidus hadn't turned it off in a couple of days. That kind of worried Wakka, as well.

_It sure is dark out there_, Wakka's mind began to wander, but it never strayed far from leaving the house in the middle of the night and going to see Tidus, just to ask what was up. Wakka's eyes widened. _It'll be just as dark on his street as mine. Why shouldn't I head over there? Maybe I can get some answers!_

Wakka jumped quietly out of bed and opened his window. He lived in a single-story house with his father and Chappu, his brother, so jumping out the window was no real adventure. Landing in the soft grass outside his window, Wakka snuck around the back of the house, avoiding any dry leaves that may have fallen lately. He rounded his way around Riku's house and stood at the edge of the dark road between Riku's house and Tidus'. Wakka took a deep breath and ran as quietly as he could across the cold asphalt and into Sora's side yard. He snuck around to Sora's backyard, finally crossing over to Tidus'. He reached the back of Tidus' house and pressed his back against the house. He looked up and saw Tidus' bedroom window, lit up, like he knew it would be. Wakka noticed the lattice heading up and started to climb as carefully as he could. He sure as hell didn't want it to break on him.

Tidus was almost asleep from crying so much when a knock on his window startled him. Tidus looked over at his north window and gasped. Wakka was grinning at him from the darkness outside!

Tidus rushed over and opened the window as fast as he could. "Wakka!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Gee, is that any way to say hello to a friend?" Wakka answered in a whisper.

Tidus wrapped his arms around Wakka's neck and started to cry again. "I'm so sorry I couldn't speak with you earlier today," Tidus was mumbling.

"Hey, woah, woah, I'm not safe yet," Wakka replied hastily. "Let me in."

Tidus backed up and helped Wakka through his window. Wakka quietly landed on the floor of Tidus' bedroom. The redhead looked at Tidus and grinned.

Tidus rushed up and gave Wakka another big hug, this one returned by the older boy.

When they broke, Tidus had tears running down his face. Wakka blinked in confusion, and reached up with his left hand and wiped them off of the younger kid's face.

"What's with the tears?" Wakka asked the blonde.

Tidus sniffed. "You shouldn't be here," he replied in a silent whisper. "Dad might hear you."

Wakka snorted. "I dun' care," he said quietly. "I needed to come and get some answers."

Tidus' eyes went wide. "You came for answers? Like what?" the boy asked his friend.

"Well, for one," Wakka said thoughtfully, "I want to know why it's my fault that you're grounded."

Tidus slumped back onto his bed. "I-I can't."

"You told Riku late at night," Wakka reminded him. "Why can't you tell me? Your dad doesn't need to know I know."

Tidus blushed and looked out the window that faced Sora's house. There was a long moment of silence, then Tidus said, "I'm sorry, Wakka, for getting you mixed up in this. I still can't tell you. It's…too embarrassing."

Wakka crossed his arms and huffed. "So that's how it's gonna be, eh?" He walked over to Tidus' bed and sat down in front of the younger boy, facing him. He put on a pouty face. "Pwease?" he said in his most sickeningly innocent voice, his bottom lip sticking out.

Tidus closed his eyes, trying to ignore Wakka's tactic, but he couldn't resist looking at the redhead. A smile reached Tidus' face and the two boys started chuckling. Tidus shook his head. "Wakka, I'm sorry, but I just can't tell you right now. I'm not ready."

Wakka was confounded by this statement. His pouty face disappeared and was replaced by a wide-eyed stare. After a moment of silence, the redhead nodded. "Okay, I can wait until you're ready to tell me, I guess," he said slowly. He stood up and headed for the window. When he reached the glass pane and lattice, without looking at the blonde, Wakka said, "You know, when I saw the others crowding around you like that, I wanted more than anything to rush over there and be there with them, saying hi, prodding you with 'how are ya?' and 'when are you ungrounded?'…"

Tidus' eyes teared up. "Wakka, please," he began, but Wakka continued.

"Then, when I tried to go over to you, Riku stopped me and told me that if your dad saw me there with the others, you wouldn't be allowed to go outside at night anymore."

Tidus felt a tear fall down his face. "Riku's probably right," he whispered. Wakka cringed at that, but went on.

"Tidus, I…" Wakka began, but something stopped him. "I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see you again. It hurt so much when I realized that I wouldn't be able to talk to you anymore. I felt like I was losing my best friend."

A tear hit Tidus' leg. "Wakka, stop," Tidus whimpered. Wakka didn't hear him.

"I'll be watching you from the other side of the street at night when you come out," Wakka told the blonde. "I can sneak in again after midnight. It won't be the same as hanging out on the island, but at least we can talk again this way."

Tidus nodded, his eyes closed tightly.

"I guess I'll see you later, when you come out for your ten minutes," Wakka said softly, reaching for the lattice.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around Wakka's chest in a hug from behind. Wakka was surprised when he heard Tidus' sniffling behind him. Wakka turned and gave the blonde a proper hug before heading out the window. Wakka had thought that the hug was a 'goodbye, see ya later' hug. Tidus knew, however, that it was more than just a hug. It was a 'Don't leave me!' hug. It was a hug that represented Tidus' feelings. It was a hug that meant the world to the blonde, just to be able to touch Wakka again.

As Wakka landed in the grass outside Tidus' bedroom window, Tidus watched the redhead round the corner of the house. Tidus jumped onto his bed to continue to watch the boy creep out of their yard and into Sora's, the dash down the length of Sora's house, to the street. When Wakka hit the street, he turned and gave Tidus a huge wave of an arm. Tidus' eyes watered again and he waved a tiny wave that he knew Wakka wouldn't be able to see. Wakka turned and dashed across the street and through Riku's yard, and vanished from sight. Tidus sighed and turned away from the window. He drew his knees up to his chin and buried his face in his arms.

"I can't keep this up," Tidus whimpered into his arms.

Not without you, Wakka… 

- - -

The next morning, Sora got up a little late and rushed outside to see if anyone was around. He looked over at Tidus' house and received quite the shock. Tidus was drawing on his front walk with sidewalk chalk.

Sora rushed over to Tidus and knelt beside him. "Woah! Are you ungrounded?" Sora asked the blonde.

Tidus grinned briefly, but it disappeared quickly. "No. Dad said that I've been a good kid lately and that I deserved the day to myself. He said I couldn't go to Destiny Island, but I was free to wander the street today."

Sora stood up and laughed. "This is huge news! I've gotta go tell everyone!" he cried with a laugh, rushing over towards Riku's house.

Tidus continued to draw, happy to be out in the sun again. His normally tanned skin had paled a shade or two in the past week.

Riku and Sora came running up to Tidus, who wiped off his hands on his shorts and stood up. Riku gave Tidus a nod and looked over at his house. After a moment, he looked back at Tidus. "We're all going to the island today," Riku told the blonde, "but I'll make sure that Wakka stays behind."

Tidus' face took on a massive grin. "Thank you, Riku," he said.

Confused, Sora glanced at Riku. "What's up with Wakka?" he asked the white-haired boy.

"Don't worry about it," Riku answered, brushing Sora's question off. "Let's go get the others – I want to be back by two or three to hang out with Tidus."

Sora nodded and turned towards Selphie's house and started running down the sidewalk. Riku was charging ahead towards Kairi's house.

Tidus grinned. Today was going to be a great day!

-

See? Everything works out, eventually. But things are just getting started, believe-you-me! Read and review if you'd like.


	5. Chapter 5: Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

By now you realize that this is a yaoi fanfic and I shouldn't need to warn you again.

-

Chapter 5: Confessions

-

Riku kept his word. He, Sora, Selphie, and Kairi all went down to the dock and left for Destiny Island, leaving Tidus there to watch them row away. Everyone was excited to see Tidus out during the day, and the girls wanted to head out to the island quickly so that they could come back and hang out with Tidus. Wakka was scheduled to show up at the dock a few minutes later.

Tidus sat on the end of the dock when he felt a strong hand touch his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Wakka smiling down on him. "What's happening, man?" the redhead asked with a chuckle.

Tidus jumped to his feet and grinned. "Nothing much. Just waiting for a certain redhead to show his ugly mug."

Wakka mocked a hurt expression. "Ouch. If that's how you feel about me, I'll leave." He actually turned to walk away, and Tidus started to panic.

Tidus reached out and grabbed Wakka's wrist. "No, don't, Wakka," he said, his face serious as a funeral.

Wakka gave Tidus a funny look. "What's up with you? I was only joking. I know how much this day would mean to me if I were in your shoes. I wasn't about to leave you alone."

Tidus blushed and released Wakka's wrist. "Sorry," he murmured.

Wakka playfully punched Tidus in the arm. "Hey, man, what's wrong with you? This isn't like you to be all quiet and stuff."

Tidus smiled weakly and looked up into the older boy's eyes. "I know, I'm sorry. I've just been thinking a lot lately."

Wakka raised and eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Really now? About what?"

Tidus looked around and sighed. He grabbed Wakka by the wrist and dragged him inside the boathouse.

"Tidus, what's with the," Wakka began, but Tidus put up a hand to silence him.

"Just listen," Tidus said. "I know that you know that you're the reason that I'm grounded. But you still don't know why, right?"

Wakka nodded, his eyes wide. Finally, some answers!

Tidus sighed. "Okay, here it goes. Wakka, I'm gay."

Wakka's eyes bugged out. He started laughing. "That all?" he asked.

Tidus' eyes widened as well. "What do you mean?"

Wakka shrugged. "I figured it was something huge. You mean your dad's overreacting because you're gay? That's nuts," he added with another laugh.

Tidus began to chuckle, his laughter rising until he and Wakka were in hysterics.

Suddenly, Wakka got very serious. "Wait. That doesn't have anything to do with me," he said.

Tidus blushed a fuschia color. "Well, it kind of does. You see…" Tidus shifted around uncomfortably.

Wakka's eyes widened again. "You mean you…me…" Tidus didn't look at Wakka, but nodded, his face turning a deep beet red. Wakka didn't know what to say.

So that was it. Jecht was mad at Tidus because he was gay, and wouldn't let Tidus be around Wakka because Tidus had a crush on him. It all fell into place. Everything made sense.

And Wakka didn't know what to say.

- - -

Sora and Riku sat on the Paupu tree, watching the ocean waves. Kairi and Selphie were off elsewhere on the island. They were probably hunting for seashells or something girly like that.

Sora was sitting higher in the tree, and stole a glance down at Riku. His silvery hair was shimmering in the bright sunlight. It really brought the focus into Riku's face, and his aquamarine eyes.

Riku noticed Sora staring at him and looked up. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Sora chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing," he replied, leaning back on the Paupu tree and letting his legs dangle off either side of its trunk.

Riku shrugged and looked back at the ocean. "Sora, what do you think about gay people?" he asked out of the blue.

Sora sat up and gave Riku a nervous laugh. "What? Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I was just wondering. If one of your friends, let's say Selphie, liked girls, would you mind?" Riku asked, not looking at Sora.

Sora shook his head. "No, I don't guess so. Why?"

"I told you I was just curious," Riku replied, still not looking at the brunette.

"You're not, are you?" Sora asked, making sure to word the question carefully.

Riku shrugged.

Sora's heart stopped. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked the older boy, his heart jump-started and beating four times faster than normal.

Riku shrugged again. "I've never given it much thought, but I guess you could say that I'm not exactly straight. I've never had an interest in any girls, and only a couple guys." He stole a glance at Sora out of the corner of his eye, which he thought Sora didn't notice, but he did.

Oh, Sora caught that glance.

Sora's heart was racing. "Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about Wakka?"

Riku shrugged. "Redheads aren't my thing."

"What about Tidus?"

"He's cute, but he's not interested," Riku replied.

Sora was slightly confused by that remark, but he let it go, rounding up his courage. "What about…me?"

Riku didn't answer right away. Finally, without looking at Sora, Riku said, "You're better than the other two." He shot Sora a dazzling smile and Sora grinned.

"Har har, very funny," Sora replied, kicking Riku in the shoulder. Riku laughed.

"What about you?" Riku asked. "Now that you've got a gay guy pining over you, who are you interested in?"

Sora blushed. "I don't know if I want to talk to you about it," he replied.

"Oh, c'mon." Riku punched Sora in the foot playfully. "It's Kairi, isn't it?"

Sora blushed. "No," he said slowly.

"Selphie?"

Sora shook his head.

Riku's eyes widened. "Wakka?"

Another negative answer.

Riku's heart was racing. "Tidus?"

Sora blushed and shook his head.

Riku jumped up and looked at Sora. "You mean…"

Sora didn't look at him, but he started laughing. "Funny, isn't it?" he asked his older friend. "I didn't even know you were gay, let alone that you liked me."

It was Riku's turn to blush. "I could say the same thing about you, you know," he said with an accusatory point at the brunette.

"So what do we do now?" Sora asked his older friend.

Riku sat down on the tree, next to Sora. "I'm not sure." He looked over at his azure-eyed friend. "I've never been involved with anyone before," he admitted.

Sora chuckled. "I haven't either," he confessed. He looked Riku in the eyes, but both boys turned their gazes downwards to the ocean beneath them.

The two of them sat there in an awkward silence for nearly five minutes. Then Sora felt something shift around him. Riku's hand poked its way into Sora's view, wrapped around his waist. Sora smiled and felt the arm try to curl him in, so he shifted closer to Riku. Their shoulders met and they sat there, Riku's arm around Sora, for a couple of minutes. Sora got an idea, so he shifted away from Riku a little and laid his head on the older boy's shoulder. Riku laid his own head on Sora's. The two of them sat there like this for some time, until Kairi's voice was heard at the bridge.

"Aw, how cute," she laughed.

Riku and Sora disconnected very quickly and turned to look at their female friend. She and Selphie were in stitches on the bridge. Riku and Sora both blushed, got up, and jumped down to the island, standing there awkwardly.

"You two make such a cute couple," Kairi laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "I never would have guessed it, but you do."

Sora dug into the dirt with his shoe. Selphie went over and hugged them both.

"Don't worry, we're okay with it," she said with a wink.

"Well, we weren't looking for your approval in the first place," Riku said. Sora elbowed him in the rib. "But thanks," he added with a smile. He wrapped an arm around Sora's shoulders and pulled him close. He and Sora smiled.

- - -

"Tidus, I honestly dunno what to say," Wakka admitted to his blonde friend back in the boathouse.

Tidus nodded, more than a little embarrassed. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore."

Wakka laughed. "Nah, it's nuthin' like that. I don't mind, really, I don't. This was just a little unexpected. I, uh, didn't realize that you were interested in me."

If at all possible, Tidus' blush deepened. Wakka laughed and brought Tidus in for a hug. "You're still my best friend, no matter what," Wakka said with a smile. "I'm just glad to see you out of that house and at least having some semblance of fun, ya?"

Tidus nodded and reveled in Wakka's hug. He didn't want it to end, but it did, far too soon. Wakka held him out at arm's length and looked him up and down.

"Have you grown over the past week?" Wakka asked his friend.

Tidus laughed.

"C'mon, Tid, we've got a whole day ahead of us, and we don't want it to go to waste, right?" Wakka asked with a wink. Tidus' face, which had almost recovered from his previous blush, blushed again.

Wakka led the blonde out of the boathouse and stopped dead. He and Tidus stared.

Jecht was standing on the end of the dock, staring right at them, with a gallon of loathing in each eye.

-

Dun dun dunnnnn! How're those two gonna get outta this one? O.o Looks like you'll have to read the next chapter to hear this one! Read and review if you'd like.


	6. Chapter 6: Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

-

Chapter 6: Confrontation

-

Tidus and Wakka stood there in shock, staring at Tidus' father, Jecht. His dark eyes were drilling holes into Wakka. Wakka and Tidus were frozen stiff, eyes wide with horror and anxiety.

"Get away from my boy," Jecht growled almost inaudibly.

Wakka stepped away from Tidus very slowly.

"Explain yourself, boy," Jecht said in the same dangerously low voice.

Tidus' face was ghostly white. "I-I, er, you see…"

Wakka spoke up. "Sir, I can explain."

Jecht turned his piercing gaze on Wakka, awaiting an explanation.

"There was a stuck boat in the boathouse," Wakka explained without even so much as a shivering voice, pointing back at the boathouse. "My boat was tied too tightly and Tidus helped me get it loose enough to guide it out. I was gonna go with the others to the island, but my boat wouldn't cooperate, so Tidus helped me out."

Jecht turned his rock-hard gaze on his son, questioning the validity of this statement.

Tidus nodded slowly, trying to give Wakka a little backup.

Jecht's eyes narrowed as he looked at Wakka, making Wakka's heart sink into his big toe. Without looking at Tidus, Jecht said, "I want you home in thirty minutes, kid. Don't be late."

Tidus nodded as Jecht turned and started up the hill. It took him three minutes to get out of sight. After he was gone, Tidus dropped to his knees on the dock, breathing in relief.

"Tidus," Wakka murmured, watching his friend recover from the panic. He walked over to his blonde friend and helped him stand up and pulled him into a hug. "You can't keep going like this, man. Your father's got to figure out that you're who you are, and he can't stop that by keeping you separated from everyone you love."

Wakka felt Tidus nod against his chest. Tears were welling on both of the boys' eyes, scared and ashamed for Tidus.

"You've got half an hour," Wakka said, pushing Tidus out to arms' length. "Let's make the best of that half hour, ya?"

Tidus sniffed and wiped his eyes, then nodded. The two of them got in Wakka's boat, which was actually tied up to a post to the right of where Jecht had been standing, and rowed off for the tourist island, a two-minute row.

When the two got there, they made a break for the arcade, where they played a couple games. Wakka let Tidus beat him at a couple things, but once Tidus actually won fairly. Wakka bought Tidus an ice cream cone and rowed back to the docks.

When they got there, Riku was standing with his arms crossed, looking a bit disgruntled.

"What's going on, Rik?" Tidus asked, hopping out of the boat as Wakka tied it up.

"It's your dad," Riku said, looking up the hill. "He was muttering something about how ungrateful you were."

Tidus' stomach clenched. "H-He was?"

Riku nodded and looked back at the blonde. "When you go home, make sure that you're extra polite to him. I don't think he's had that great of a day."

Tidus and Wakka shared a glance, and Tidus set off up the hill on his own, not even bothering to say goodbye to his friends.

"What was that?" Riku asked Wakka.

"What was what?"

"That look you and Tidus gave each other."

"Oh. That." Wakka chuckled nervously. "Jecht saw me with Tidus about a half hour ago."

Riku's face twisted into a look of disappointment. "You let him catch you with him?"

"It wasn't like that," Wakka cried. He stopped. "At least, I don't think it was."

Riku raised an eyebrow and gave his redheaded friend a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I-I don't really know," Wakka replied, embarrassed. "When Jecht saw me and him, I made up some phony story about a stuck boat in the boathouse to get him out of trouble. I think he bought it, but I can't be sure. After that, we went to spend some time together." Wakka looked up and met Riku's gaze. "I think…"

Riku's eyes were emotionless in waiting for the redhead to continue.

"I think I like him, Riku."

Riku laughed. "Is that all? There's no shame in that."

Wakka's confidence rose a little. "Ya think?" he asked pleadingly.

"Definitely not," Riku replied with a chuckle. "That means that the feeling is mutual, and with a mutual friendship like yours and Tidus', Jecht can't possible interfere."

Wakka considered for a moment. He seemed to reach a conclusion, but wasn't sure. "Well, I think I'll just keep this between us, ya? For now, at least?" he asked the white-haired boy.

Riku nodded in understanding. "'Course," he replied. "If you don't want the others to know, they don't have to."

Wakka nodded, not looking Riku in the eye. "You know," the redhead began, "you're really good at this whole keepin' secrets stuff."

Riku folded his hands behind his head and laughed. "Thanks, I think."

"No, I mean it," Wakka said, turning his gaze back to the aquamarine-eyed boy. "You never let Tidus' secret slip. You knew why he was grounded, but wouldn't tell anyone because he asked you to keep the information to yourself."

"Right. Well," Riku shrugged offhandedly, "I'm Tidus' friend, and friends aren't supposed to spill the secrets of their friends."

Wakka dug his foot at the ground. "Yeah."

"I'll tell you a secret, though," Riku said, lowering his arms. "I have a secret, too. We all do. Every person on this island has a deep, dark secret. I'm sure Tidus has another secret, a big one that someone would actually take notice of."

Wakka looked at the boy quizzically. "Okay, what's the secret you want to tell me?"

Riku chuckled. He made a motion with his hand and Sora appeared from inside the boathouse. Wakka's eyes went wide, then his brow furrowed.

"Hey! He didn't overhear us, did he?" Wakka cried.

Riku laughed and shook his head. "I don't think so. Did you hear anything, Sora?" he asked the brunette, wrapping an arm around the younger teen's waist.

Sora shook his head. "Not a thing." He rested his head in the crook of Riku's neck.

Wakka just stood there, dumbfounded. "You mean you…and him…" he said, pointing at Riku and Sora in turn.

The two other boys just laughed at Wakka, who just stared.

"Yeah, we are," Riku said with a laugh.

Wakka shook his head and laughed. "Never woulda thunk it," he said with a smirk.

"Hey, you two crazy lovebirds! C'mon, already!" Kairi called from on top of the hill. "It's dinner time!"

Wakka looked up at the sun's position. Yeah, it was! Time had flown by today, oddly enough. "You're eatin' at Kairi's tonight?" Wakka asked the two boys.

Riku nodded. "Kairi invited us over. You want to come, too?" he asked the redhead.

Wakka considered, then nodded. "Sure."

"Okay, then," Sora said, releasing Riku. "I'll race you!"

"What? You've gotta be kidding," Riku said with an eye roll.

"Ready? Go!" Sora cried, taking off up the hill.

Riku and Wakka laughed, looked at each other, and shot off themselves, easily catching up to Sora.

The three boys caught up with Kairi, who turned and started running as well, and the four of them ran down the middle of the street towards Kairi's house for dinner.

-

Hmm…so that's what's going on! Read and review if you'd like.


	7. Chapter 7: Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

-

Chapter 7: Plans

-

Kairi's parents had made barbeque out back and the kids had a grand old time scarfing down the BBQ goodness. All of them except Wakka, that is. He had asked if he could eat indoors, which Kairi's mother had allowed. He ate his barbeque inside, alone. Riku went inside after he had finished his food to check on his redhead friend.

Wakka hadn't touched his food. It was sitting on the kitchen table, and Wakka was sitting on the couch in the den, looking out the window with his head resting on his arms on the back of the couch. Riku walked over to him, and Wakka sighed.

"What are you looking at?" Riku asked, knowing the answer.

Wakka didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, "Nothing."

Riku sat on the couch next to the redhead, facing the opposite direction, and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, that nothing isn't going to come out tonight. At least, I don't think it will."

Wakka sighed. "I don't think it will, either." He turned around and sat correctly on the couch, next to Riku. "Will it ever?"

Riku shook his head slowly, returning his gaze to eye level. "That, I'm not sure." He wrapped an arm around Wakka and gave him a sideways hug.

Wakka just sat there, staring at the floor. "I've been thinking," he finally said.

"About what?" Riku said, returning to resting his head on his hands.

"I think…I'm going to talk to Jecht."

Riku's eyes shot open. "What?" he sat up and looked at Wakka, who wouldn't look at him.

"I'm going to talk to Jecht," Wakka said, stronger than before.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Riku asked.

"Not at all," Wakka said truthfully with a sigh. "But I believe that I might be able to convince him that Tidus is best left to himself."

Riku shook his head. "You know Jecht better than I do, but I know that he's thickheaded as a shoopuf, so what're the odds that you could get him to change his mind about his son's 'condition?'"

"Just leave it to me, Riku," Wakka sighed. "I don't need you getting involved."

Riku thought for a moment. "Maybe you should," he said with an excited voice. He'd had a revelation.

"What? What do you mean?" Wakka asked the silver-haired boy, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, we'll help you out," Riku said, a grin on his face.

"We? Who is 'we'?" Wakka asked, watching Riku as he jumped up from the couch. "Riku, what are you talkin' about?" Riku didn't answer him. Instead, he ran out the back door, where the others were. Wakka got up from the couch and followed him out the door.

Riku had Sora, Kairi, and Selphie over to the side, away from the adults, in a huddle. Selphie saw Wakka and waved for him to join them.

Wakka nervously entered the huddle, where he caught the tail end of Riku's plan.

"…and convince him that being gay isn't that bad," Riku finished, a triumphant look on his face. Everyone but Wakka agreed that it was a good plan.

"What did you tell them?" Wakka asked Riku, a shocked expression on his face.

Riku grinned. "I just told them that Tidus is gay and that it was your idea to try to convince Jecht that it isn't as bad as he thinks."

Riku had a reassuring look in his eye. He hadn't told the others about Wakka's feeling for Tidus. _Damn_, Wakka thought. _He _is_ good with keeping secrets._

"Yeah, great idea, Wakka!" Selphie giggled, giving the redhead a hug.

"There's one problem," Kairi said, her face serious. "Jecht has a skull thicker than a shoopuf's hide. How are we going to convince him that being gay is okay?"

Riku gave Sora a dazzling smile, and Sora blushed. After the blush ended, Sora nodded and smiled back. "Let me and Sora handle it," Riku said, turning his smile to the others.

Wakka wasn't sure that was a good idea, but he hadn't said a word since coming outside yet, so he wasn't about to throw their plan aside. It was better than what he had.

Anything was better than a sit-down with Jecht.

- - -

Tidus looked outside the window in the den, which overlooked most of the street. His friends were having a cookout in Kairi's backyard. Tidus could see the five of them huddled together in what looked like a football huddle. Curious, Tidus moved to a closer window, but he still couldn't see anything important. Riku seemed to be talking the most. After he was done, he pulled Sora in close to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Tidus' eyes widened in shock. _Sora and Riku? No way!_

Tidus backed up from the window and headed upstairs. He had a feeling that if he made too big of a ruckus over that, his dad would see them, and make certain that Tidus would never leave the house again. When Tidus reached his bedroom, he sighed and opened the door, letting himself in.

"I hope you guys have a great dinner," Tidus said to no one in particular. He curled up on his bed and closed his eyes. He drifted off to sleep, a tear rolling down his cheek.

-

I know, I know, short chapter, but the chapter, they instigate their plans! Woohoo! Will it work? Is Jecht really thicker than a shoopuf? Read and review if you'd like.


	8. Chapter 8: Happiness

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

-

Chapter 8: Happiness

-

The next morning, Riku's plan was set into action. Selphie was first up to bat.

Jecht was washing his car early that morning, when Selphie skated by his driveway. She skidded to a stop and waved at him, a big smile on her face.

Jecht waved a muscular arm back at the girl with a small smirk on his face in response. "How are you this morning, Selphie?" he asked in his gruff voice.

Selphie skated up to the man and grinned. "I'm pretty well, myself. Can I tell you a secret?"

Jecht nodded. "Sure, kid." Selphie was always telling Jecht "secrets." Usually they were new things she'd learned from Riku or Kairi. He wasn't expecting this one.

"Kairi told me that it's not important what someone looks like, if they're a boy or a girl, or anything. You love who you love. Love is blind. Didja know that?" She smiled innocently. "Isn't that just so cool? That means that there'll always be someone out there for me!"

Jecht laughed. "I guess so," he replied, messing up the brunette's hair. She batted his hand away playfully and skated off, leaving the man to wash his car.

- - -

Sora was next. Selphie had laid the foundation. There was no doubt that Jecht heard her, but whether he knew it or not, he was thinking about what she said, as well. Sora was going to bring out the reality.

Jecht was trimming the hedges in his front yard when Sora rode his bike up, coming from Kairi's house. He stopped right in front of Jecht and waved hello. Jecht waved back, then went back to his trimming.

"Hey, Mr. Jecht? Do you have a sec?" Sora asked.

"Sure, Sora, what's up?" Jecht asked, not looking at the kid, but continuing to trim.

"I was wondering what your opinion on homosexuality is."

Jecht stopped in mid-cut. "Why would you ask me something like that, Sora?" he asked calmly.

Sora shrugged. "I read something about how it's been around for so long, and how it's going through some discrimination lately, for some reason, and I'm taking a poll up and down the street."

"Well in that case," Jecht said, beginning to trim again, "I'm not against it, but I wouldn't want someone like that in my family. It's like Selphie told me earlier, you love who you love."

Sora pretended to consider for a moment. "Okay. Thanks, Mr. Jecht." He started biking over to his house, waving goodbye, a wave that Jecht didn't return.

- - -

Kairi was next. She walked down the sidewalk just as Jecht returned home from the grocery store, with "accidental" perfect timing. She was hugging a piece of paper to her bosom.

"Hey, Kairi, what'cha got there?" Jecht asked as the girl turned into his driveway.

"It's a letter from my penpal Kino," she replied, waving it and returning to her chest in a tight squeeze. "Y'know, Mr. Jecht, it's uncanny how well the two of us connect. I…I think I'm falling in love with his personality. How do you know if it's the right one?" Kairi asked, dreamy-eyed.

Jecht laughed nervously. "That's really something you and your mom should discuss."

"Well, what's your opinion?" Kairi asked the man, leaning in to hear him.

"Well," Jecht said, looking thoughtful, "I guess it's when you connect on everything with this person, know what they're thinking, and you can't stand to not be near him or her, or something of theirs. Love is pretty complicated." Jecht laughed out loud. "Listen to me, talking about love. Something must be wrong with me."

Kairi pretended to think for a moment. "Well, I think that love is happiness."

Jecht looked at the girl with a funny expression on his face. "Happiness, huh?"

Kairi nodded. "If you love someone, you're not going to dislike being around them, right? You have to like someone before you can love them, correct? Well, I think that happiness derives from how much you love yourself and other people. I think that love equates to happiness."

Jecht considered for a moment. "I think you're right, Kairi," he laughed. "And here I thought it was about knowing someone. Love is about how happy you are to be with someone."

Kairi looked down at her letter. "Well, I guess I can just love Kino from a distance, since I probably won't ever get to meet him face to face," she sighed and skipped to the end of the driveway and started walking towards Sora's house. "Thanks, Mr. Jecht!" she called, waving.

- - -

Jecht was outside hanging his laundry when he noticed Sora and Riku walking down the street. They were laughing and smiling, and being all sorts of fun together.

Then Jecht noticed it. They were _holding hands!_

Riku and Sora laughed and stopped in front of Jechts house. They were still laughing when Sora turned to face Riku. They weren't laughing so much when Riku leaned in and landed a long, sweet kiss on Sora's lips.

Jecht's eyes widened. He left the laundry and headed towards the front of his lawn. "Hey, you two, what's going on here?" he asked with a laugh.

Riku and Sora broke their liplock and grinned at Jecht. It was their turn.

"Nothing," Sora replied to the man, wrapping an arm around Riku's waist. Riku's arm wrapped around Sora's shoulder.

Jecht just stared for a moment, then laughed. "Do your parents know that you're a couple?"

"They sure do!" Sora replied with a happy smile. Riku grinned as well, but for a different reason. Their parents didn't know, per se, but if they were watching out their front doors or windows, they would sure be getting an eyeful now!

"Well, you two sure seem happy together," Jecht said, his smile fading somewhat.

Riku nodded as he drew Sora in for a peck on the cheek. "Sure are. I've never been so happy. And I think that Sora feels the same way, too," he added, squeezing Sora's shoulders, who giggled and nodded his agreement.

Jecht's eyes were troubled, now. Riku's grin stayed as strong as ever, but the reasoning shifted. They were getting through to him, it seemed.

"So are you two, like," Jecht stammered, "in love?"

Riku actually was taken aback by this comment. Apparently, either Jecht was more open-minded than he had assumed, or their friends had really helped in breaking through to the old man.

Riku actually thought long and hard, as did Sora. Finally, their gaze met, and they grinned. Sora nodded as Riku answered, "Yes, Jecht. Yes, we are. We're in love."

Jecht's smile had completely dissipated. He was staring at the boys like they were something unusual, something never seen before.

"We'll be going now," Riku said, turning towards Sora's house. He delivered a quick kiss to Sora's head as they walked. Sora just chuckled again.

When the boys had entered Sora's house, Jecht turned and looked at his own house with the same estranged, unfamiliar expression.

- - -

The kids reassembled in Sora's living room at 5:30 that evening. Each one went through their story, and each one seemed to have been a success after Riku told his part with Sora.

"That's great, guys!" Kairi laughed, giving Sora and Riku a hug.

Wakka had a hard expression on his face. Sora was the first to notice it. "What's wrong?" he asked the redhead.

"Thanks, you guys," Wakka said, standing up. His expression didn't soften at all as he said, "You guys set the stage for me. Now, it's time for me to perform."

Riku, Kairi, Sora, and Selphie exchanged confused glances. "What do you mean?" Selphie asked her older friend.

Wakka shook his head slightly, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned towards the door and rushed out into Sora's front yard.

"WAKKA!" Riku shouted, jumping up after him.

"What's he doing?" Kairi cried, jumping up along with Sora and Selphie.

The teens ran out into Sora's front yard, and were stopped by Riku, who was staring ahead, into Tidus' yard.

Wakka was standing at the edge of Jecht's property. He looked back at the others and gave them his dazzling, confident smile. The "it's cool" smile. The smile that they hadn't seen in over a week.

Wakka turned back to Jecht's yard and started walking forward.

-

;; Wakka's goin' for it! YAY! GOOO WAKKA! grabs the pom-poms and does a cheer blush Anyway, how's this gonna turn out? O.o Read and review if you want to, things are just getting' warmed up!


	9. Final Chapter: Revelation

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters involved in this story, although I have named a couple of locations.

-

Chapter 9: Revelation

-

Jecht was sitting on the porch, relaxing for the first time all day, swinging on the porch swing without a care in the world. Wakka was halfway to the porch by the time the man noticed him, but when he did, Jecht was on his feet and staring the redhead down with his stone cold gaze.

Wakka stopped about eight feet in front of the porch. Jecht crossed his arms and waited for the boy to state his business. When he didn't, Jecht growled, "What do you want, boy?"

Wakka's gaze wasn't as cruel as Jecht's, but it was more determined. "I want to see Tidus."

"Tidus is grounded and can't see anyone right now," Jecht replied in his dangerously low voice. "You should go."

Wakka just stood there.

"Dammit, kid, get out of here!" Jecht yelled. Riku and the others cringed back over in Sora's yard, but Wakka didn't flinch.

"No," Wakka whispered.

Jecht stopped dead. "What did you say?" he asked in a low whisper.

"I said no!" Wakka cried, loud enough for the entire community to hear him.

"You've got guts to come traipsing up to my house and demand to see my son," Jecht started. "I don't see how-"

"You've got some guts holding your son against his will, unable to see his friends because he's gay!" Wakka shouted, interrupting the man. Jecht, Riku, Sora, everyone within earshot, jumped in surprise.

Jecht's eyebrow twitched. "Don't you ever say that about my boy," he growled.

"I don't care what you say!" Wakka cried, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm here to see Tidus. You can't keep him locked up because of who he chooses to love!"

"He's my boy, I can do whatever I damn well please!" Jecht shouted. The two of them were starting to heat up to the point of violence.

"No! He's not your son, he's a human being, with the right to choose who he loves, who his friends are, and who he belongs with!" Wakka shouted back. The adults of the neighborhood had appeared on their front steps, looking for what was causing all the shouting.

Jecht growled again. Then he yelled, "Get off of my property before I call the cops!"

"So I can report to them that you physically abuse your son?" Wakka demanded.

Jecht froze. An unfamiliar look glazed into the man's eyes: fear. "Blackmailing is illegal," Jecht growled, loathing returning to his face.

"So is child abuse," Wakka growled back, tears streaming down his face. His eyes were narrowed and dangerous, almost as much as Jecht's.

"Answer me this, kid," Jecht started. "Why do you want to see my son? Are you a fag, too?"

Wakka didn't flinch at the term. He didn't say anything for a minute, looking at the ground. It was now or never. Raising his head, he said, "I want to see Tidus. Because-" Wakka paused. "I love him."

Jecht's eyes widened. "You _love_ him? You can't be serious!"

Wakka's eyes narrowed again. "I'm dead serious."

Wakka caught a glimpse of movement behind Jecht. He looked around the man to see a blonde teen standing behind his father. Tidus' eyes were red from crying and there was a look of hope on his face.

The blonde went shooting past his father, who didn't have time to react. Tidus leapt at Wakka, tackling him to the ground. He landed with his face over Wakka's.

"You…" the younger teen began, but the tears took over and he didn't have the chance to finish his sentence.

Wakka reached up with a hand and pushed the tears away from Tidus' face.

"I love you, Wakka," Tidus cried, collapsing into a sobbing heap on Wakka's chest. Wakka wrapped his arms around Tidus and stroked the boy's hair.

"I love you too, Tidus," Wakka said, giving the boy's head a quick kiss.

"_That's enough!_"

Jecht was on top of them immediately, tearing his son away from Wakka. Wakka jumped to his feet and grabbed Tidus by the wrist.

"You're _not_ turning my boy into some gay freak," Jecht growled, staring hard into Wakka's eyes, which were filled with loathing.

Footsteps were heard behind Wakka. Turning, he saw Selphie, Kairi, Sora, and Riku standing there, each one with a hateful look on their face.

Wakka tugged on Tidus' wrist and Tidus pulled against his father's grip, but Jecht was too strong.

"Let him go," Wakka growled.

Jecht grinned an evil grin. "Not likely. Thanks to you, Tidus will never see the light of day again."

Selphie ran up next to Wakka and grabbed Tidus' other wrist. "You love who you love!" she cried at Jecht. His eyes went wide.

Sora crossed his arms and nodded. "It's been around forever, and it's going to be around forever, Jecht. Get used to it," he said, not giving the man a direct look.

Kairi grabbed Jecht's wrist and started pulling at it. "Love is happiness, remember?"

Riku substituted his hand for Wakka's on Tidus' wrist. "I'm happy the way I am, with Sora."

Wakka's eyes narrowed dangerously. Jecht was surrounded by teenagers who were completely against him. One of his hands was around Tidus' shirt collar, the other was being held by Kairi. Selphie and Riku were holding Tidus' wrists and Sora was standing in the back, surveying the scene.

Wakka's eyes narrowed even more. "I love your son, and there's nothing you can do to stop us from being happy."

With that, Wakka reached back and gave Jecht a punch to the face with enough force to send him crashing to the ground. The man reached up and felt his nose, his hand coming away bloody. Wakka was still staring at him with the same dangerous look in his eyes.

"Get over it, Dad," Tidus said. "You've lost this battle. I love Wakka." The blonde put his arms around Wakka's waste and placed his head on Wakka's chest.

"Then you're not my son," Jecht growled.

"Let me get my stuff out of your way, then," Tidus sneered. He looked at Wakka. "Mind helping me pack my things?"

"Not at all. I'm sure that my folks wouldn't mind putting you in our guest room," Wakka replied, not even looking at Tidus. The two of them stepped over Jecht and walked into Tidus' house, leaving the older man to stare down the other four teens.

"You're a bad man," Selphie said, turning her back to him and crossing her arms.

"I hope you've learned something by all of this," Sora said, mimicking Selphie.

"I know I have," Kairi said, imitating the others.

Riku didn't say anything, but he turned and crossed his arms as well.

Jecht had never felt more defeated. He had been shown up by a bunch of teens. The adults in the neighborhood shook their heads in disgust and turned back into their houses, not wanting to get involved.

"What's goin' on?" a voice called. Riku looked over and saw Chappu, Wakka's little brother, running towards the group.

"Your brother just got himself a boyfriend," Selphie replied with a shrug.

Chappu raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know he was gay," he said.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Sora asked the teen.

Chappu shrugged and shook his head. "Nope. We have a gay uncle. Our family's used to it."

Tidus and Wakka reappeared with two large suitcases each. They stepped back over Jecht, who hadn't moved, and joined the others.

"I'll be back for the rest of it tomorrow," Tidus said over his shoulder. "Let's go, Wakka," he said, turning to his redheaded boyfriend.

Wakka nodded and led the way towards Riku's house and beyond. The others followed them. Riku and Sora even took one of the suitcases from each of the boys, so four boys were carrying one suitcase each. Selphie, Kairi, and Chappu followed along behind.

Jecht stood up and watched them leave. For once, he felt as if he was losing something. Then it hit him – Tidus was leaving. He had lost his son to Wakka. Tidus no longer felt any emotions but hate towards his father. And it was all Jecht's fault.

- - -

Tidus and the others set up his stuff in Wakka's house, and over the next week, they continued to move Tidus' things out of his father's house and into Wakka's. The redheaded family made room for Tidus in the spare bedroom, and the entire family was very accepting of Tidus' and Wakka's lifestyle. They put down some groundrules, seeing as the two of them were in love and teens, but everyone seemed to be ready to lead this part of their lives.

And, of course, everyone lived happily ever after. Kind of.

-

That's all for this part of the story, but I'll be continuing it in a sequel story that I haven't come up with a name yet, but the story's all planned out, and it promises to be lots of angsty dramatic fun, so keep on the lookout!


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